To play an instrument such as the violin or viola, the player supports and/or secures the instrument against the body generally in the upper chest and shoulder region. Most violinists and violists use two accessories for helping them support their instrument securely between their chin/jaw and their shoulder area—a “chin rest” and a “shoulder rest.” The need for such devices arose in the 19th century when composers like Paganini, Beethoven, and Brahms began writing music for the violin of such increased range and virtuosity that it required players to clamp their instrument more firmly between their chin/jaw and their shoulder area. Before that time (i.e., in the days of Bach and Mozart), players could usually get by with merely resting their instrument on their collar bone or upper chest near the shoulder because most of the music was more contained in range.
The chin rest was devised first for the top of the instrument, and the idea of a shoulder rest for the bottom of the instrument came later. Various shoulder rest designs have been used including soft, spongy padding and single bar designs with feet clamps. While players may be able to find a suitable chin rest among the many models available, shoulder rest designs have generally failed to meet the need for a secure and anatomically suitable support below the instrument. Existing shoulder rest designs also cannot be fully adjusted to accommodate differences among players, for example, in neck length and shoulder/collar-bone/chest shape.
Existing shoulder rests also cannot be fully adjusted to accommodate different approaches to holding the instrument in the vertical plane relative to the ground and in the horizontal plane relative to both the central axis of the player's body and to their sternal notch. When players attempt to position some existing shoulder supports optimally on the instrument, they simply snap off during an intense performance, which can be disruptive to a concert and damaging to the instrument. Other existing supports hamper the sound of the instrument by resting in contact with some portion of its back, or by exerting a clamping force from directly opposing points on the sides of its back.
The ineffective designs of the current supports also force players to create extra tension in the shoulder area and elsewhere. This may cause shoulder/arm/hand tightness and musicians' injuries such as tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, focal dystonia, thoracic outlet syndrome, tenosynovitis, tendinosis, DeQuervain's syndrome, myofascial pain syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome and trigger finger/thumb. Such injuries have led to the use of re-educational and rehabilitative methods such as the Alexander Technique, which helps to establish a balanced use of the neck, head and torso musculature. Although the Alexander Technique provides relief from built up tightness and re-educates muscular co-ordination for supporting and playing an instrument, it only highlights the inadequacy of the existing shoulder rests, which require extra tension to be made.
Accordingly, there is a need for an instrument support capable of providing secure and anatomically suitable support below the instrument. There is also a need for an instrument support capable of being adjusted to suit differences between players.